Troweling slab

[23vc]

Evening all,
Appreciate this has been covered before in other posts and believe me I've read them all but got a few questions about pouring my slab (not having a screed as not enough room) and it's not something I want to mess up
My brickwork is up to dpc and I've battened the existing house walls with 2x2 with bottom of batten level with top of pour (dpm trapped behind it up the wall) and will use a bit of 4x2 notched around the batten and use the other end on the new brickwork to tamp it.
Getting ready mix delivered about 4-5 cubes (100mm thick)
Planing on barrowing it to where it needs to be starting at the far end and tamping it using my levels above.
Then after several hours (no idea what to expect as never done this before) attempting to basically float out the tamp lines with one of those big floats with a pole handle (never used one)
Then where I can, lay scaffold boards out and crawl on them and finish with my plastering trowel.
Any comments on how sensible the above is or suggestions would be really appreciated!
PS - at any stage can it be walked on while trowling it up? I suspect not but I've only done screeding before, not this!
Cheers
John

 

[noseall]

Boy are you going to have one heck of long day!

 

[noseall]

Getting ready mix delivered about 4-5 cubes (100mm thick)
Planing on barrowing it to where it needs to be starting at the far end and tamping it using my levels above.

You are going to barrow and tamp 5 cubic metres of concrete? How many people have you got working for you?

Then after several hours (no idea what to expect as never done this before) attempting to basically float out the tamp lines with one of those big floats with a pole handle (never used one)

Called a bull float. It will take several hours to barrow and tamp 5 cube of concrete. Just pray it doesn't cure too quickly on you.

Then where I can, lay scaffold boards out and crawl on them and finish with my plastering trowel.

Have you got arms like Popeye?

Any comments on how sensible the above is or suggestions would be really appreciated!

If you have an expert at working with concrete along side you and a power float (see below) to hand, then you may stand a chance.

PS - at any stage can it be walked on while trowling it up? I suspect not but I've only done screeding before, not this!

Yes it can be walked but by then a hand trowel will be useless (see above). Screeding is nothing like floating concrete. Whilst screeding is hard work, multiply it by a factor of five for floated concrete.

 

[23vc]

Agree. But doable?
I'm not after perfection just something I can put self.leveller on later where needed...

 

[23vc]

You are going to barrow and tamp 5 cubic metres of concrete? How many people have you got working for you?

Called a bull float. It will take several hours to barrow and tamp 5 cube of concrete. Just pray it doesn't cure too quickly on you.

Have you got arms like Popeye?

If you have an expert a working with concrete along side you and a power float (see below) to hand, then you may stand a chance.


Yes it can be walked but by then a hand trowel will be useless (see above). Screeding is nothing like floating concrete. Whilst screeding is hard work, multiply it by a factor of five for floated concrete.

OK, thanks. I am planning on getting help.
Appreciate it's not like screeding, and not after perfection. I'll give it some more thought and see who I can get in to help

 

[23vc]

RE. Barrowing, I think we can chute it to within pretty close to where it needs to go, so more a case of just spreading it around. So forget barrowing, sorry should have described it better

 

[noseall]

You need to be well prepared because you will only get one shout. And hope it does not rain. Power floated concrete slabs are not easy hence the reason architects recommend screeded floors. Plus, how are you going to marry into the existing floor without the benefit of a screed?

 

[23vc]

Thanks, really appreciate the warning/advice.
I am pouring to what I think is the floor level of the existing house. Obviously that will probably not work out and I totally expect to be using floor levellers and doing whatever I need to further down the line to get things to line up.
I don't want to make it stupidly hard for myself, if I just get it in and tamped, then anything else I can do to smooth it is a bonus? Maybe scrape it back a bit the next day?! I totally expect to self level the whole lot later.
Sorry if I sound like I don't know what I'm on about, I'm just trying to gauge how much I could potentially mess up here. Definitely not after a power float kind of quality.
Totally agree screed would have been better.

 

[noseall]

Don't forget that once the masonry is complete the slab will look like a horses arse, unless you have a hard wearing, polished power-floated floor.
Whilst many architects are referring to floor levelling compounds as the magical panacea for 'lazy' concrete floors, it may end up being a lot of work to achieve a decent surface finish. It needs a bit of thought because floor areas can be large - and challenging - and expensive.

 

[23vc]

Thanks noseall really appreciate your advice, and there I was feeling confident with my progress before posting this lol

 

[noseall]

Maybe scrape it back a bit the next day?

Don't even think about it.

 

[noseall]

Thanks noseall really appreciate your advice, and there I was feeling confident with my progress before posting this lol

Whilst I have a modicum of confidence of a DIY concrete sub slab being successful with an acceptable tamped finish, I'm realistic in what even an experienced builder can achieve with a poured concrete floor. Without the use of powered tools and the benefit of experience (especially the timing of the cure etc) then achieving a decent, durable finish is difficult. Simple things like asking for a particular mix, or strength or additives makes a lot of difference.

Good luck though.......

 

[23vc]

Thanks. Yeah I will definitely speak to concrete guy about the mix in terms of what I'm trying to do. Other option is I guess to do it in 2 layers or split it and mesh the join but I don't want to be going there if I can help it / or won't be allowed to

 

[garyo]

I'm not sure I fully understand what you're getting to do 23. Are you intending to tamp to finished floor level, or do you just want to get it vaguely flat so that you can put self levelling compound and some other finish on it?

 

[23vc]

I'm trying to get it as flat as possible, I'm pouring the slab to ffl, I can then use slc where needed (possibly everywhere?!) but no room for screed. Actual floor will be tiled and possibly some laminate.

Must admit I'm dreading it now and not sure what the hell to do and regret not digging out another few tons of concrete (to make room for a screed) but no going back now, insulation and dpm are down ready to go.
It's 4 cubes of concrete total (100mm thick). I think I'll just throw as many blokes as I can rope in to help me and expect some remedial work later lol